Flash gun socket



Jan. 2, 1962 R. F. RAU 3,015,798

FLASH GUN SOCKET Filed March 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 e I 65 ml [UN 3436 ll 23 I Z I INVENTOR ATTORNEY Jan. 2, 1962 Filed March 9, 1959 R. F.RAU

FLASH GUN SOCKET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY I INVENTOR Paezzr [50 ATTORNEYS Urtcs PatentOfiice 3,015,798 v Patented Jan. 2, 19 62 3,015,798 FLASH GUNSOCKET Robert F. Rau, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignor to Sylvama ElectricProducts Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No.798,249 Claims. (Cl. 339-45) This invention relates to flash guns foruse with cameras and is particularly concerned with special lamp socketstructure for such guns.

In its preferred embodiment the invention will be described in a flashgun wherein the socket assembly is adapted to receive and eject the lampin axial movements of the latter. The socket assembly comprisesessentially a spring biased pivoted section adapted to latch with thelamp base, a centered contact and ejector spring and a linkage foractuating the pivoted latch member, all in novel association.

It is the major object of the invention to provide a novel flash gunsocket having a special lamp base latching structure.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel flash gun socketstructure wherein a pivoted section of the socket has latchingengagement with a lamp base and a special lever is interposed betweenthe pivoted section and a manual release member.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceedsin connection with the appended claims and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a section showing the flash gun with the socket in sideelevation;

FIGURE 2 is a front view of the upper part of the flash gun partly insection and broken away to show socket detail;

FIGURE 3 is a front view of the casing with the reflector and socketremoved;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged section on line 4-4 of FIG- URE 2 showing socketdetails;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 55 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the socket and latch sub-assembly; and

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the socket assembly removed from theflash gun.

The flash gun comprises a molded plastic casing 11 having a bottombattery introducing opening closed by a screwed-on metal cap 12. Asshown in FIGURE 3 the casing has a front aperture 13 surrounded by aflat generally annular surface 14 in which are disposed an upper pair ofthreaded apertures 15 and a lower pair of threaded apertures 16. Acentered recess 17 extends back into the casing from surface 14 to asurface 18 on an integral transverse wall 19 within the casing. Recess17 communica-tes with the battery compartment through a slot 21. Theupper end of recess 17 is a flat surface 22 that is perpendicular tosurface 14 which in turn is perpendicular to the socket axis. I v

A rigid socket frame 23 made of a single piece of sheet metal is securedupon the casing. Frame 23 comprises a rectangular tubular body 24 formedat its forward end with an integral support flange 25 that projectsdownwardly and forwardly therefrom. Flange 25 bridges the open front endof recess 17 and seats at opposite ends in recesses 26 in surface 14 ofsuch depth that flange 25 is flush with surface 14. Suitable screws 27pass through flange 25 into apertures 16 to rigidly mount the socketframe 23 on the casing with flange 25 disposed in recesses 26.

The upper portion of hollow socket frame 23 is open upwardly except fora forward bridge 28, which is formed by tabs extending from the adjacentside walls. Rearwardly of bridge 28 each body side wall has in sequencea rectangular notch 29, a lug 31 and a fulcrum notch 32. A rear lug 33projects above the level of lug 31 and has a forwardly directed face 34above the level of lug 31, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined guideface 35 within the notch and a forwardly facing fulcrum portion 35 atthe inner rear end of notch 32.

A socket latch member 36 is pivoted on the frame 23. Member 36 is asingle piece of sheet metal having a forwardly disposed lamp baseengaging portion 37 and a downwardly displaced rear step portion 38terminating in a tail 39. Portion 37 is formed on the sides withoppositely extending side lugs 41 adapted to be received in socketnotches 29, notches 42 adapted to embrace socket lugs 31 and side lugs43 adapted to be received in fulcrum notches 32 of the socket.

The latch member 36 is mounted on socket frame 23 by disposing lugs 43against socket faces 34 and rocking the latch down to dispose lugs 43within notches 32, being guided by faces 35. Thus lugs 43 effectivelypivot the latch member 36 about fulcrums 35 and the lugs 41 abut innotches 29 to limit counter clockwise rocking of latch member 36.

The forward portion 37 of the latch member 36 is formed to providedepending spaced lips 44, the forward lip having an inclined front camface 45. Preferably lips .44 are formed by displacing metal down out ofthe flat latch portion 37, providing a slot 46 between the lips (FIGURE7).

A compression spring 47 biases latch member 36 into the solid lineposition of FIGURE 4. Spring 47 is a sheet metal spring having a flatbase 48 seated against casing surface 22 and a spring arm 49 whichterminates in a rounded end 51 hearing slidably against the top surfaceof latch member 36 just forwardly of the pivotal connection between thelatch member and the socket. The top wall of casing 11 is formed with arecess 52 in which a push button 53 is slidably mounted. The lower end54 of button 53 within the casing is larger than recess 52 to preventwithdrawal through the recess and bears against step 38 of the latchmember 36. When the projecting part of button 53 is pressed to depressit to the dotted line position of FIGURE 4 the latch member 36 is rockedagainst the pressure of spring 47 to its dotted line position. It willbe noted that tail 39 will strike the top of wall 19 to limit rocking oflatch 36.

A center contact member 55 has an intermediate section 56 anchored ontothe face 18 of wall 19 as by screw 57, a lower spring arm 58 extendinginto the battery compartment to engage the upper terminal of a battery,and an upper spring arm 59 extending up into the interior of the hollowsocket frame body. Arm 59 ends in a rough surfaced terminal 61 centeredon the socket axis.

When the flash bulb, which is of the type known as M-2 having acylindrical base 62 formed with a rear continuous circumferential recess63 and an annular flange 64, is thrust into the socket the flange 64first engages cam face 45 to slightly rock latch 36 clockwise againstthe force of spring 47 sufficiently to enable the flange to pass frontlip 44 and become disposed in slot 46. There the lamp base is lockedagainst axial movement and its center contact 65 has engaged terminal 61to compress contact spring arm 59.

A reflector 66 is secured in centered relation with the socket axis,with an internal flange 67 mounted against surface 14 and held there byupper screws 68 entering apertures 15 and the same screws 27 that holdsocket frame flange 25.

After use the bulb is speedily ejected and thrown clear of the reflectorwhen the operator presses down on button 53, This unlatches slot 46 fromthe base flange 64 and the powerful spring arm 59 expands to eject thebulb.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departingfrom the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The presentembodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrativeand not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States LettersPatent is:

1. In a flash gun, a casing having an opening, and a generally tubularlamp receiving socket structure disposed within the casing at saidopening comprising a socket member rigidly mounted on said casing andopen forwardly in registration with said opening, said member being openrearwardly into the interior of said casing, a contact and ejectorspring mounted Within the casing and having a portion adjacent the rearopening of said socket member adapted to be engaged and compressed bythe base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socket member,a latch member rockably mounted on said socket member, spring meansbiasing said latch member toward lamp base latching position on saidsocket member, means comprising a transverse slot and coacting opposedlips depending at said slot on the forward portion of said latch memberextending toward said socket member and adapted to engage and interlockwith the base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socketmember, and a manually operable member accessible exteriorly of saidcasing and extending through said casing into contact with a rearportion of said latch member for rocking said latch member to lamp baserelease position against the force of said spring means to therebypermit said ejector spring to eject said lamp forwardly away from saidcasing.

2. In a flash gun, a casing having an opening, and a generally tubularlamp receiving socket structure disposed within the casing at saidopening comprising a socket member rigidly mounted on said casing andopen forwardly in registration with said opening, said member being openrearwardly into the interior of said casing, a contact and ejectorspring mounted Within the casing and having a portion adjacent the rearopening of said socket member adapted to be engaged and compressed bythe base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socket member,said member having an upper opening and being formed with laterallyaligned fulcrum notches at opposite sides of said opening, a latch leverrockably mounted on said socket member to extend over said upper openingand having side lugs extending into said notches, spring means reactingbetween the casing and latch member biasing said latch lever toward lampbase latching position on said socket member, means on said latch leveradapted to engage and interlock with the base of a lamp thrust into thefront opening of said socket member, and a manually operable plungerslidably mounted on said casing and accessible exteriorly of said casingengaged with said latch lever for rocking said latch lever to lamp baserelease position against the force of said spring means to therebypermit said ejector spring to eject said lamp forwardly away from saidcasing.

3. In a flash gun, a casing having an opening, and a generally tubularlamp receiving socket structure disposed Within the casing at saidopening comprising a rigid socket frame having a depending flangesecured on said casing at said casing opening and open forwardly inregistration with said casing opening, said frame being open rearwardlyand upwardly into the interior of said casing, a lateral bridge rigidwith said frame extending across said upper opening at the forward partof the frame, a contact and ejector spring mounted within the casing andhaving a portion adjacent the rear opening of said socket frame adaptedto be engaged and compressed by the base of a lamp thrust into the frontopening of said socket frame, means providing laterally aligned upwardlyopen fulcrum notches in said frame, a latch lever rockably mounted onsaid socket member by means of lugs laterally projecting into saidnotches, spring means biasing said latch member to overlie said upperframe opening to dispose it in lamp base latching position on saidsocket frame, means on said latch lever adapted to engage and interlockwith the base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socketframe, and manually operable means accessible exteriorly of said casingfor engaging and rocking said latch lever to lamp base release positionagainst the force of said spring means to thereby permit said ejectorspring to eject said lamp forwardly away from said casing.

4. In a flash gun, a casing, a socket member rigidly mounted within saidcasing and forwardly open to receive the base of a lamp thrust axiallythereinto, said member having an upward opening and being formed withlaterally aligned upwardly open fulcrum notches at opposite sides ofsaid opening, a latch member extending over said opening and having sidelugs disposed in said notches whereby the latch member is fulcrumed onsaid socket member, a compression spring within the casing bearingdirectly on said latch member whereby the latch member is urged againstsaid socket member and spring biased into lamp base latching position,and a forwardly facing cam surface on said latch member adapted to becontacted by said lamp base upon introduc tion into said socket member.

5. In a flash gun, a casing having an opening, and a generally tubularlamp receiving socket structure adapted to receive and hold a flash lampof the type having a base formed with a circumferential recess and alocking flange adjacent the recess disposed within the casing at saidopening comprising a socket member rigidly mounted on said casing andopen forwardly in registration with said opening, said member being openrearwardly into the interior of said casing, a contact and ejectorspring mounted within the casing and having a portion adjacent the rearopening of said socket member adapted to be engaged and compressed bythe base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socket member,a latch lever rockably mounted on said socket member, said lever beingformed with laterally extending side lugs and said socket member havingfulcrum notches to receive said lugs, and said fulcrum notches beingupwardly open and formed with inclined faces for guiding said lugs intosaid notches, spring means biasing said latch lever toward lamp baselatching position on said socket member, detent and recess means on saidlatch member adapted to engage and interlock with the recess and flangeon the base of a lamp thrust into the front opening of said socketmember, and manually operable means accessible exteriorly of said casingfor rocking said latch lever to lamp base release position against theforce of said spring means to thereby permit said ejector spring toeject said lamp forwardly away from said casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,595,318 Wilkinson May 6, 1952 2,848,701 McKee et al Aug. 19, 1958FOREIGN PATENTS 765,654 Great Britain Jan. 9, 1957 931,147 Germany Aug.1, 1955 936,649 France Feb. 23, 1948

